World Sports

We understand that we watch sports as a release. We don’t watch sports to be intellectually challenged. Sports is a visceral thing. Sports makes us feel good (or awful). Sports make us yell in joy (or agony). Sports is not supposed to be the periodic tables. Which is a good thing. Because in our little landscape of sports, in New York City, we have been surrounded by stupidity lately. No,…

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As I walked into a banquet hall in the Hilton hotel Friday to speak at the annual NWA Wrestling Legends Fan Fest, I received a message that my friend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper had unexpectedly died, apparently in his sleep the night before, at age 61.  My speech was immediately erased from my memory.  Every image in my mind was that of “Hot Rod.” The notes for my…

OLYMPICS KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Throughout more than 120 years of Olympic history, no city has hosted both the winter and summer games. Now, Beijing will be the first do it – and in the span of just 14 years. The Chinese capital was awarded the 2022 Winter Olympics, beating Kazakh rival Almaty 44-40 in a surprisingly close vote marred by technical problems, taking the games back to the city…

For many sports fans, nestling into their seats at an arena to root for their team is a comfort zone of American sports tradition. But for others, spectatorship is a quest. “As a kid, my family would say, ‘We don’t have to spend a lot of money to go to that event. We’ll watch on TV together and everyone can enjoy it,’” said Mike Jennings of South Holland. “I did…

Want Backheel Breakfast in your inbox? Sign up for the email version here. Good news for fans of German football in America: FOX Sports has you covered. After several years of mediocre coverage on hard-to-get GolTV, the broadcast rights for the Bundesliga got snapped up by FOX for the next few seasons. The network unveiled their coverage plan on Thursday, and it pretty much kicks ass. FOX Sports 1…

Most of the millions of numbers uttered on Sports Phone are long forgotten — scores of games no one cares about now, results that led to ill-fated wagers and shaped standings from another millennium and another world. But for many New York-area sports fans of a certain age, seven digits are seared in memory, a phone number that resonates still: 976-1313. …

Choosing from two authoritarian countries to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has favored the one that lacks snow, water, or winter sports: Beijing. The other choice was Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. The committee made the decision at a session in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (July 31). In a last-minute statement before the vote, Chinese president Xi Jinping appeared in a pre-recorded video to sway…

(Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images) Mo’ne Davis may be only 14, but she’s already become a bona fide sports star, landing the cover of Sports Illustrated and an ESPY award for her performance in the Little League World Series last summer. While she’s likely pleased with her success so far, she’s not pleased with how the broadcast world treats women’s sports. In particular, Davis has a problem with the lack of women’s…

Capitalizing on their history of success and baseball’s skyrocketing value as real-time TV, the Cardinals have reached a deal with Fox Sports Midwest that will guarantee the team more than $1 billion and assert for years to come their televised presence in a broad, devoted region. The team and its exclusive local broadcast partner are expected to announce a new, 15-year agreement Thursday morning, officials on both sides confirmed. The…

Here’s your viewer’s guide to TV coverage of Germany’s Bundesliga. This season marks the long-awaited debut of Fox’s multi-year rights deal that finally brings one of the world’s best and most popular soccer leagues into mainstream American homes. For some years now, the Bundesliga has drawn the biggest crowds and produced among the highest goals-per-game averages in Europe. I’ve been a fan of the league for a long time,…

Ivan Drago – Rocky IV (1985) “Whatever he hits, he destroys.” Dolph Lundgren is a fearsome sight in Rocky IV; a sweaty, dead-eyed killing machine with rippling muscles and a peroxide flat-top. In the most adventurously-scripted of all of Stallone’s boxing films he played the seemingly bionic Ivan Drago, a Soviet Olympic champion and infantry captain whose punches are said to be more than twice as punishing as the average…

The American video game developer, Electronic Arts , is slated to release its first quarter fiscal 2016 earnings results on July 30. The company has been beating the market estimates for the last couple of years, driven by the success of its sports titles. EA’s stock has more than doubled over the last 12 months. According to Wall Street estimates, EA is expected to report an EPS of $0.02 in Q1…

The impending arrival of a new sports channel featuring Uefa Champions League and Europa League games has boosted BT’s television business. The company said its TV section is at a two-year high after 60,000 customers were added in the three months to the end of June. In its first-quarter results, BT said it is on track to meet full-year expectations following solid demand for TV and broadband services. In 2013,…

Capitalizing on their history of success and baseball’s skyrocketing value as real-time TV, the Cardinals have reached a deal with Fox Sports Midwest that will guarantee the team more than $1 billion and assert for years to come their televised presence in a broad, devoted region. The team and its exclusive local broadcast partner are expected to announce a new, 15-year agreement Thursday morning, officials on both sides confirmed. The…

In FootGolf, players try to kick a soccer ball into a 21-inch diameter cup. (Carlos Osorio/AP) The other week we brought you the story of Red Whittington, a three-time disc golf world champion. What’s disc golf? Well, it’s scored like golf, but instead of putting a ball into a hole, players throw a Frisbee-like disc into a metal basket. Whittington’s story left us wondering about other hybrid sports that have gained popularity. Here are…

An estimated 27 percent of high schools will not have sports by the year 2020 if current trends continue, a group says.

This story first appeared in the August 7 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Sports drives the best arguments. Not just the usual ones ­(Who is No. 1 in college hoops? Is Serena the best women’s tennis player ever?), but the real drama that unfolds outside the locker room: Did the NFL go easy on Ray Rice in his domestic abuse…

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Tom Brady not only violated his sport’s integrity by participating in a scheme to tamper with the inflation levels of footballs but actively tried to cover up the conspiracy, National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell ruled Tuesday, upholding the Patriot quarterback’s four-game suspension. In a stunning statement, Goodell alleged that Brady’s “very troubling’’ coverup effort involved instructing his assistant to destroy his cellphone less than 24 hours before he was…